Lock for grave-vaults.



M. E. COBB. LOCK FOR GRAVE VAULTS. APPLICATION FILED )ULYG. 1915.

1 154 235, PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

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.IANUEL E. COBB, OF MARION, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO RALPH T. LEWIS, OF

MARION, OHIO.

LOCK FOR GRAVE-VAULTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21,1915.

Application filed July 6, 1915. Serial No. 38,081.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MANUEL E. Conn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Marion and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looks for Grave-- Vaults, of which the following is a specifition, reference being had therein to the acompanying drawing.

This invention relates to looks for grave vaults and more particularly to that type of lock which, when in its locked position, cannot be released from the outside of the vault.-

The object of the invention is to provide a lock of this kind which will serve not only to lock the to draw the closure very tightly against its seat, thus effectually sealing the closure against-the entrance of air or moisture; and further, to so construct the locking mechanism that the pressure on all. parts of the door will be inward.

It is also an object of the invention to so construct the locking mechanism that by the i dense of a detent, before the closure is locked, the locking devices may be manipu-,

lated from the exterior of the door to release the same, thus permitting the vault to be used as a shipping case.

A further object of' the invention is to provide a device of this kindwhich will be very simple in its construction and positive in its operation'and which will'be of such a character that the mechanism will not be easily disarranged or rendered inoperative; and further, to so arrange the lockingmechanism that an excess of movement of the opera ting device for the locking members will not relieve the pressure on the closure.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional view taken transversely of a vault embodying my invention, looking toward the closure; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, Sectional view taken through the closure and the end portion of the vault showing the locking members retracted; and F ig. 3 is a conform to the cross closure. in its closed position but embodiment of my invention and have shown the same as applied to an end opening vault, as shown at 1. This vault is pro vided with a closure or door 2 shaped to sectional area of. the vault and having its edges adapted to bear against the seat formed by the end of the vault. The vault is provided at its open end with a portion 3 extending inwardly, that is, toward the center of the opening in the end of the vault. portion of the vault is here shown as a flange extending completely about the open end of the vault and having its front surface flush with the edge of the vault wall and cooperating therewith to form a seat for the closure. A packing 4 which may be of rubber, lead or any suitable material, is interposed between the closure and the seat to form a tight joint when the closure is drawn tightly against the same. This in wardly extending portion or flange 3 is pro vided with a series of openings 5 which are here shown as elongated apertures extending longitudinally through the same. These apertures are adapted to receive staples 6 carried by the closure and of such a length that they will extend beyond the rear surface of the flange when the closure is in engagement with its seat. These staples are here shown as rigidly secured to the closure and form oart of the fastening devices.

Preferably they are substantially U-shaped, with their closed portions or transverse bars extending beyond the inner'surface of the flange. It will be apparent, however, that this shape is not essential to their operation. Mounted upon the inner side of the closure 2 are a plurality of locking members or bolts 7 In the present instance there are four of these locking members, one extending .toward each side of the vault and each being provided with a plurality of bifurcated fingers 8. The fingers of the bolt correspond in number and arrangement to the staples 6 of the closure and are so mounted on the door that they may be moved radi- This inwardly extending in a supporting frame,

Means are also provided for moving the inner ends of the locking members toward the closure, after the fingers have entered the staples, thus causing'the locking members to fulcrum on the 'edgeof the flange 3 and to pull the closure toward its. seat. The locking members may be mounted and operated in different ways but, in the present instance, each locking member is substantially triangular in shape, with its apex adjacent to the center of the closure.

Rotatably mounted in the closure near the center thereof is a screw-threaded stud or shaft 9 having its outer end squared, as shown at 9, to receive a wrench or other suitable implement to rotate the same. The inner end of the stud or shaft 9 is journaled such as the spider 10 carried by arms 11, which are rigidly secured to and extend rearwardly closure. througi slots in the theseveral locking members, and which also act as guides for the locking members. Screw-threaded onto the stud ,or shaft 9 is a disk 12 provided 'ith founlcam slots 13 adapted to receive pins 14 secured to the inner ends of the respective locking members 7. Separable means are provided for temporarily attaching the disk 12 to the stud 9- to cause the same to rotate therewith. In the present instance the disk is provided with a luv" 15 arranged to be'cngaged by a projecti-o... 16 1 aspring 17, rigidly secured to the stud, and thus caused to rotate with the stud. In order that the disk may be rotated in one direction only it is provided on its periphery with ratchet tecth-18 and a spring pressed pawl 19 is mounted on one of the lockingmembers 7, this pawl being long enough to permit of the longitudinal movement of the locking member without central bar of being disengaged from the teeth of the I the locking members sure.

cause the projection on the spring ratchet wheel. The outer ends of the looking member 7 are held in their proper positions relatively to the closure by means 0 pins 20 which extend through the bifurcated fingers 8 and not only serve as guides for to direct them-into their respective staples but also serve to prevent them from moving away from the clo- The shaft or stud 9 is provided on both sides of the closure 2 with collars 21 which rigidly hold it against longitudinal movement relatively to the closure without interfering with its rotary movement.

desired, a soft metal washer utilized to seal the opening through which the shaft passes. t will be obvious that with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2 the rotation-mt the stud or shaft 9 will .7 to enthe disk 12 and carry the a go the 'lu on disk along w'th the stud as it rotates, therethe locking members to be by causing and the lingers 8 thereof cammed outward as the bolts have reached 'the from the the door as 22 may be flange 3 and into the respective staples.

As soon limit of their movement, or the pins have reached the ends of the cam slots, the rotationof the disk ceases. The resiliency. of the springv 1'? is sufficient, however, to continue its movement and thus cause the disk 12 to travel longitudinally thereofa distance sufricmat-todi'sengage the lug the spring. Afterthes'e parts are disengage the disk is free to continue its movement toward the closure. This movement draws the inner ends of the locking members toward the closure, the inner ends of the locking mem: hers-being arranged between the closure an the disk so that they will be directly en gaged by. the disk. This movement of the locking members causes the fingers 8 thereof to fulcrum about the inner edge of the flange 3, thereby causing the outer ends of-the funfrom gers to engage the transverse bars of the sta plcs and exert an inward pull-on the staples,

this pull being transmitted to the closure and serving to draw the closure toward its seat. I prefer to form the inwardly extend ing projections or flanges with their inner portions of greater thickness than those portions immediately adjacent to the wallsof the vault. In the present instance the rear faces of the flanges are beveled. In this manner a more efficient leverage is secured, but very satisfactory results-can be had without bevcling the flange. It will be apparent that the leverage exerted upon the locking members is a very long one and 1s correspondingly powerful, thus serving to exert a very strongpull upon the outer edges of the closure and to draw the same very tightly against the packing. n fact the pressure is so great that I am enabled to.

use a lead packing which is much more permanent than rubber or similar m terial. Further, it will be noted that the pressure on the center of the door is toward the interior of the vault and not outward. Thus a whole is pressed toward the vault. It will also be noted that when in their inoperative positions extend obliquely to the plane of the closure and that when pressure is applied thereto. by the rotation of the screw hreadcd stud 9, they permit the shaft to" the bolts are moved into a plane parallel with the lane of the closure. of the locking. members to exert pressure upon the closure serves to move the lingers Thus, the operation further toward their coiiperating locking de vices or staples, instead oftending to withdraw them from these the case in that type of closure in which the locking devices are moved away from the door to secure the scaling pressure. 7

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention it will be un dcrstood that this has been chosen for the locking devices as is.

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purposes of illustration only, and that I do not desire to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A grave vault having an opening, a closure for said opening, said vault having a part arranged substantially parallel with said closure and provided with an aperture, a staple carried by said closure and arranged to extend through said aperture when said closure is in its closed position, a locking member mounted on said closure within the vault and capable of longitudinal movement to cause one end thereof to enter said staple, and means to move the other end of said locking member toward said closure, thereby causing said locking member to fulcrum on the edge of the apertured part of said vault and draw said closure toward said vault.

2. A grave vault having an end opening and provided with inwardly extending portions having openings therein, a closure for said vault having staples adapted to extend through the openings in said portions, locking members mounted on said closure within said vault and having parts adapted to enter the respective staples, and means for first imparting longitudinal movement to said locking members to cause said parts to enter said staples and for then moving the inner ends of said locking members toward said closure to cause the locking members to fulcrum on the inner edges of said inwardly extending portions and to draw said closure toward said inwardly extending portions of said vault.

3. A grave vault having an end opening and provided with inwardly extending portions having apertures therein, said inardly extending portions having their inner faces beveled toward the body of the vault, a closure for the open end of said vault, staples secured to said closure and extending through the respective openings in said inwardly extending portions, looking members,-'mounted on said closure and having their inner ends spaced away there from, and means for first imparting an outward movement to said locking members to cause the same to enter said staples and for then moving the inner ends of said locking members to ard said closure to rock said locking members about the beveled edge of the inwardly extending portions of said vault.

4. A g1 ave vault having an end opening and provided with inwardly extending flanges arranged adjacent to said end open ing and provided with apertures, a closure for the end of said vault, staples secured to said closure and adapted to extend through the openings in the respective flanges, a screw-threaded stud journaled in said closure, a disk mounted on said screwthreaded stud, having cam surfaces and supported normally at a point remote from saidclosure, locking devices supported at their inner ends by said disk and having parts engaging the cam surfaces of said disk, the outer ends of said locking members being supported adjacent to the respective flanges, and means for first imparting rotary movement to said disk to move'said locking members longitudinally into engagement with the respective staples and for then moving said disk toward said closure to rock said locking memhersabout the edges of said flanges.

55. A grave vault having an end opening and provided with inwardly extending flanges arranged adjacent to said end opening and provided with apertures, a closure for the end of said vault, staples secured to said closure and adapted to extend through the openings in the respective flanges, a screw-threaded stud journaled in said closure, a disk mounted on said screw-threaded stud, having cam surfaces and supported normally at a point remote from said 010- sure, locking devices supported at their inner ends by said disk and having parts engaging the cam surfaces of said disk, the outer ends of said locking members being supported adjacent to the respective flanges, a spring secured to and coiled about said studfsaid spring and said disk having cooperating parts to cause the disk to rotate with the stud during the first portion of the rotary movement of the stud, and said spring being adapted to yield to permit the separation of such parts during the further rotation of said stud, whereby said locking members are first moved outwardly into-engagement with the respective staples and then rocked about the edges of the respective flanges.

6. A vault having an opening and provided with inwardly extending portions having apertures therein, a closure for said opening having staples to exteud,through said apertures and to project beyond the rear surface of the said apertured portions, locking members, and means for said locking members to enter said staples and for then imparting pivotal movement to said locking members to actuate said staples and draw said closure toward its seat.

7. A vault having an open end and provided with inwardly extending flanges having apertures therein, a closure for the open end of said'vault,'staples secured to said closure extending through the respective apertures and beyond therear faces of said flanges, a plurality of radially movable looking members having bifurcated fingers causing adapted to extend through the respective staples, guide pins mounted on said closure and extending between the bifurcated portions of said fingers, a cam nlisk operetively connected with said locking members, and

means for first imparting rotary 1n0vementto said disk to impart radial movement to sald loeklng lnembe "s and to then move said disk toward said closure to impart rocking movement to said locking members.

In testinwny whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two itnesses.

. MANUEL 11 COBB. Witnesses:

MARC-Us B. CHAsE, W. T JONES. 

